Dubai calling the Force

THE irony of Atomic Force’s brave win at Canterbury was not lost on the nation’s leading syndicator Dean Watt, still smarting over the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s snub of the star sprinter.

Despite winning the Group 1 The Galaxy and rated one of the best sprinters in work, Atomic Force failed to gain an invitation to take his place at Sha Tin for next month’s International Sprint.

Atomic Force (6g Danehill Dancer – Show Of Force by Luskin Star) was purchased by Watt for $50,000 from the Raheen Stud draft at the 2007 Gold Coast Magic Millions yearling sale. His bank balance now tops $758,300

But it seems a case of one door closes and another opens for Watt, who could yet see Atomic Force represent Australia overseas on a major race day.

“We’re still questioning what happened up in Hong Kong, politics is a funny thing,” Watt said. “But we have just got a notification from Dubai that they would like to see if we would be interested in taking him up there for the World Cup meeting.

“We have a lot of options but at this stage our immediate plan would be to take him home and to make sure that he pulls up all right,” the Dynamic Syndications boss said.

“Then we’ll go across to New Zealand and have a look at the Railway Handicap, which is set weights and penalties, and then we might stay for the Telegraph or we’ll come back for the Magic Millions.” Watt said Atomic Force would not run in the autumn and would be rested with an eye to the spring.

“He’s been up a long time and he just needs a bit of a blow,” Watt said. “Today’s win was a marvellous effort from a very honest horse.”

Watt saved some praise to pay tribute to winning rider Chad Schofield, who had his mount in the ideal position off the speed before driving him through the narrowest of gaps to score a brave win.

“We expected the horse to be in the one-one and all we said to Chad was to keep him balanced and wait, wait and then ask to him go, and the kid’s just ridden him an absolute treat,” Watt said. “We are just thrilled for young Chad because he’s a young kid going places and he’s got a great master in his old man (Glynn), and that’s fantastic for him.”

ATOMIC FORCEDean Watt (second from left) helps lead The Galaxy winner back to scale